Donald Trump picks daughters’ fathers-in-law for key posts

Donald Trump has picked billionaire Massad Boulos, who is his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law, as advisor on the Middle East - the second time in days he has chosen family for a key post.

President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he has chosen his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law Massad Boulos as his Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

“Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene,” Mr Trump, 78, wrote on Truth Social.

“He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community,” he added.

Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos, Kimberly Guilfoyle, her partner Donald Trump Jr. on election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Picture: AFP

Boulos Senior, who was born in Lebanon, runs Nigeria-based Boulos Enterprises, which produces and distributes mechanical equipment and motorcycles. His net worth is estimated in the billions of dollars, according to reports.

“Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East,” posted Mr Trump. “He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!”

Just a day earlier, Mr Trump announced Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as his pick for Ambassador to France.

Mr Kushner, a wealthy real estate developer, was convicted in 2005 of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering.

Jared Kushner with wife Ivanka Trump after Donald Trump’s election win. Picture: AFP

Charles Kushner outside court in 2004. Picture: AFP

He hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, arranging to record a sexual encounter between the two, and sent the tape to his sister.

In 2020, he was among 26 people granted full pardons by Mr Trump.

Mr Trump said Charles Kushner was “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, and dealmaker”.

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TRUMP’S FBI PICK FOR MAJOR SHAKE-UP

US President-elect Donald Trump has selected longtime loyalist and ally Kash Patel to lead the FBI in his latest appointment.

“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In a major shake-up, Mr Trump wants to replace Christopher Wray, the current FBI director, with Mr Patel, who is a hardline critic of the bureau.

Mr Patel has previously said he would fire its senior leaders and prosecute agents he thinks have abused their authority.

Kash Patel has been named director of the FBI. Picture: Getty Images

“(Patel) played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” Mr Trump said in his post.

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”

TRUDEAU MEETS WITH TRUMP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged from his Florida hotel on Saturday giving just a single sentence answer to the throng of media waiting outside eager to hear how his dinner with US President-elect Donald Trump had gone the evening before.

Mr Trudeau shared a meal with Mr Trump at the incoming president’s sprawling Mar-a-Lago estate amid furore over his plans to slug Canadian imports with a 25 per cent tariff.

“It was an excellent conversation,” was all the smiling but tight lipped Mr Trudeau would reveal.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quiet as he left the hotel for the airport. Picture: Getty Images

Speaking before the meeting with Mr Trump on Friday. Mr Trudeau had been much more open to discussing the issue.

“One of the things that is really important to understand is that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Mr Trudeau said.

“Our responsibility is to point out that in this way he would be actually not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States; he’d actually be raising prices for American citizens as well and hurting American industry and businesses.”

Mr Trump caused panic among some of the biggest US trading partners on Monday when he said he would impose tariffs of 25 per cent on Mexican and Canadian imports and 10 per cent on goods from China.

He accused the countries of not doing enough to halt the “invasion” of the United States by drugs, “in particular fentanyl,” and undocumented migrants.

‘IT’S A COUNTERPRODUCTIVE THING TO DO’: BIDEN

President Joe Biden has warned against damaging relations with Canada and Mexico, after Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on both US neighbours when he takes office in January.

“I think it’s a counter-productive thing to do,” Mr Biden told reporters when asked about his successor’s plan.

“The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. I think we got them in a good place,” he said during a visit to a fire department in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he is spending his last Thanksgiving holiday as president.

US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters as he visits the Nantucket Fire Department in Nantucket. The President and his family are in Nantucket, Massachusetts for the Thanksgiving holiday. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump sent jitters through global markets on Monday when he announced on social media that one of his first presidential actions would be to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico and Canada – which share a free-trade pact with the United States – and add a 10 per cent tariff on China.

Mr Biden also talked about the importance of maintaining a working relationship with China.

“We’ve set up a hotline between President Xi and myself, as well as our military, a direct line,” Mr Biden said, adding he was “confident” that his Chinese counterpart “doesn’t want to make a mistake.”
“I’m not saying that he is our best buddy, but he understands what’s at stake.”

MEXICAN PRESIDENT: ‘WON'T BE A TARIFF WAR’

After expressing opposition to Mr Trump’s threats in a letter, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke by phone with the Republican president-elect on Wednesday US time.

Both leaders described the call positively, though there was disagreement in what had actually been discussed.

Mr Trump claimed that Sheinbaum had agreed to “stop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
The Mexican president quickly pointed out that she had only explained Mexico’s current “comprehensive strategy” on migration.

“Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are attended to before they reach the border,” she said on X.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has refuted that Donald Trump claimed she said she would shut her country’s borders. Picture: AFP

“We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between government and peoples,” she added.

When asked about the dispute at her daily press conference on Thursday US time, Ms Sheinbaum said: “I can assure you … that we would never – we would not be capable – of proposing that we were going to close the border.”
Ms Sheinbaum said Thursday US time that after her talks with Mr Trump, “there is not going to be a potential tariff war.”
“The important thing was to address the approach he made,” she said, adding that she believed dialogue with Mr Trump would be constructive.

TRUMP SERVES UP SLURS FOR THANKSGIVING

US President-elect Donald Trump wished everyone, including the “Radical Left Lunatics” a Happy Thanksgiving while trumpeting his landslide victory in this year’s US presidential election.

“Happy Thanksgiving to all, including to the Radical Left Lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our Country, but who have miserably failed, and will always fail, because their ideas and policies are so hopelessly bad that the great people of our Nation just gave a landslide victory to those who want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Mr Trump wrote on X.

“Don’t worry, our Country will soon be respected, productive, fair, and strong, and you will be, more than ever before, proud to be an American!” he added.

An image of US President-elect Donald Trump is displayed as traders and financial professionals work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Picture: AFP

Colourful holiday messages have become something of a tradition for the once and future US president, who on Thanksgiving last year blasted the “psycho” judge overseeing his civil fraud case in Manhattan and other “radical left” overseeing prosecutions of him.

– with Agence France-Presse

Originally published as Donald Trump picks daughters’ fathers-in-law for key posts